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How to Teach the Executive Branch to Kids

The executive branch of the United States government is defined in Article II of the Constitution and consists of the president, the vice president and officers appointed by the president who are confirmed by the Senate. There are 15 cabinet officers and numerous agencies through which the executive branch enforces federal law, such as the Social Security Administration, the Central Intelligence Agency and the Environmental Protection Agency. Children can learn about the executive branch of government by playing a simple card game.

Instructions

    • 1

      Create flash cards for the president, vice president and the 15 executive departments. Print the title of each member of the executive branch at the top of the card. List four duties for each member of the executive branch below the name at the top of the card. Consider allowing the children to help make the cards.

    • 2

      Divide children into teams of two or three players, and seat them at a table. Shuffle the flash cards and place them face down in the middle of the table. The first player in the first team takes the top card, but does not show it to her teammates.

    • 3

      Direct the first player to read the first job duty to teammates. If one of the teammates guesses the executive branch job correctly the team places the card face up on the table and draws another card. The player then reads the first job duty listed on the card. If teammates cannot guess the executive branch job, the player holds the card until the next round and play continues with the next team. Encourage players to brainstorm together before calling out an answer.

    • 4
      Article II of the Constitution describes the executive branch.

      Move on to the next team, which takes a card from the top of the stack. The player reads the first job description and his teammates get a chance to guess the job. The player must hold the card until his teammates either guess the job correctly or he has read all the clues on the card.

    • 5

      Place cards back in the deck if all the job descriptions have been read and no team member gets the correct answer. The next team takes another card from the top of the deck and play continues. The team with the most cards facing up at the end of the game wins.

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